CURLING: USA women get back on track at 2008 World Championship

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 26, 2008 USA gets back on track at 2008 World Women's Championship (VERNON, British Columbia) - The American ladies put a screeching halt to their two-game losing skid with a 7-6 win over the Czech Republic Wednesday morning at the 2008 Ford World Women's Championship at the Greater Vernon Multiplex. It didn't come easy though for McCormick (Rio, Wis.) and teammates Allison Pottinger (Eden Prairie, Minn.), Nicole Joraanstad (Madison, Wis.) and Tracy Sachtjen (Lodi, Wis.) despite the winless record of the Czech Republic's Katerina Urbanova team. The U.S. quickly fell into a four point deficit but this time they rallied to improve to 5-3 in the standings. The top four teams advance to Friday's Page System playoffs but the U.S. ladies are sitting in fifth place and need to continue to pile up the wins to keep pace. After two tough losses yesterday, the U.S. needed to get a win today to boost their confidence. "Yesterday was a tough day," said McCormick, the 2003 world champion. "It's good to have the experience to know what it takes to overcome that. We have a good team and can string together some w's. You know that in your head but it's just sometimes tough." Unfortunately for the Americans, yesterday's stinky performance carried over into the first half of this morning's match. After the Czechs were forced to draw for one in the opening end, they stole a single when McCormick came up short drawing into the eight-foot. She overcompensated with her final draw in the third end giving up yet another steal of one. The woes lingered into the fourth end as the Americans allowed the house to be cluttered with stones once again. McCormick needed to make a soft tap for a single in this end but rolled the shooter just an inch too far to give up another steal and fall deeper in a hole at 0-4. "I didn't have good draw weight, and the other skip outplayed me in the first half," McCormick said. The Americans finally got on the scoreboard in the fifth end when the Czechs missed a double takeout that allowed the U.S. to set up a deuce. The Americans continued to creep back into the game with a steal of one to cut the deficit to 4-3. The Czechs were forced to one in the seventh giving the Americans the last rock advantage back in the even ends. McCormick got a confidence boost in the eighth end with a pivotal draw for two to tie the game 5-5. "That draw for two was big for us," she said. The Czechs tried in vain to blank the ninth end and preserve the last rock in the 10th but McCormick stuck her first stone behind a center guard in the back of the house that Urbanova didn't get enough of on her takeout attempt. McCormick drew down to her own stone with USA's final rock forcing Urbanova to draw for one. However, the downward spiral of the Czechs continued as Urbanova came up short and gave up a steal of two to the U.S. The Czechs caught a break in the 10th when McCormick's final takeout jammed into a Czech stone in the four-foot giving Urbanova a draw for two but she slid just a little too deep with the U.S. players letting out a sigh of relief. The Americans return to the ice at 6 p.m. PT today against Sweden's Stina Viktorsson rink (3-4). Game scores: USA 7, Czech Republic 6; Switzerland 10, Italy 2; Denmark 5, Germany 4; Canada 7, Japan 4 (extra end) USA line score: USA 000 021 022 0 7
Czech Republic* 111 100 100 1 6
*last stone in first end Standings: China 7-0
Canada 7-1
Denmark 6-2
Switzerland 6-2
USA 5-3
Germany 4-4
Japan 4-4
Sweden 3-4
Russia 2-5
Scotland 1-6
Italy 1-7
Czech Republic 0-8 USA Curling is sponsored by AIT Worldwide Logistics, AmerAust Technologies and Nike. (30) For more information: Terry Kolesar, USA Curling, terry.kolesar@usacurl.org, 715-344-1199, Ext. 202, or 608-338-9900 (cell).